Dental-plate-polishing tool



(No Model.) h

P. B. BARNES. DENTAL PLATE POLISHING TOUL.

No. 559,535. Patented Oct. '13, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

PRESTON B. BARNES, OF IIUBBARD CITY, TEXAS.

DENTAL-PLATE-POLISHING TOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,535, dated October13, 1896.

Application tiled March 20, 1896.

T0 all wwnt t may concer/1,.'

Be it known that I, PRESTON B. BARNEs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hubbard City, in the county of IIill and State of Texas,haveinvented a new and useful Dental- Plate-Iolishing Tool, of which thefollowing' is a specification.

My invention relates to a plate reducing or polishing tool, and has forits object to provide a simple and inexpensive machine for dressing orreducing dental plates uniformly without the risk of puncturing orotherwise weakening the same; furthermore, to provide means whereby theplate may be dressed to any desired thickness and may be graduallythickened toward the front or toward the teeth, and, furthermore, toprovide permanently exposed means for indicating the thickness to whichthe plate is being reduced.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a tool constructed inaccordance with my invention. Ivig. 2 is a partial vertical section ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of aslightly-modified form of the tool, showing different means foradjusting the rest.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding' parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The frame of the tool consists of a standard l, rising from the base 2and terminating at its upper end in a forwardly-extending arm 3, andmounted in a bearing 4 at the extremity of this arm is a bit-spindle 5,terminating at its lower end in a bit-socket G. Secured to thebit-spindle above the plane of the arm 3 is a pulley 7, traversed by amotion-communicating belt 8 or its equivalent.

Mounted to slide upon the standard l is a rest 9, the rear portion ofwhich is constructed to form a slide IO, while the front portion isreduced to form a bearing-point 1l, in contact with which the top orroof side of a plate is adapted to be arranged. The rest preferablycarries an indicator l2, which coperates with a stop 13 on the standard,said indicator being adapted to come in contact with Serial No. 584,169.(No model.)

the stop before the bit li reaches the bearing-point 1l, to preventpuncturing the plate. In connection with said indicating device I alsoemploy a gage l5, arranged upon the standard and adapted to be traversedby an edge of the rest to indicate in fractional parts of an inch theexact interval between the bit and the point of the rest to show thethickness to which the plate is being dressed.

Various means for adjusting the rest may be employed, that shown inFigs. l and 2 including side arms 1G, carrying an adjustingscrew or stem17, which is engaged by a thumb-nut or wheel 1S at the upper end of thestandard.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a slightly-modified form of adjusting means,including a thumbscrew 19, mounted in a bearing 2O at the rear side ofthe standard and engaging a nut 21,.

which operates in a horizontal slot 22 in the rest, and an upwardly andrearwardly inclined guide-slot 23 in the standard, said slot 23corresponding in inclination with the thumb-screw.

In operation the upper or roof side. of the plate is rested upon thebearing point ll, and any preferred form of bit is employed to dress theinner surface thereof, the advantage of the peculiar construction ofrest described and shown residing in the fact that the reducedbearing-point follows all of the irregularities or inequalities of thesurface of the plate, and hence causes an absolutely uniform reductionof the plate without affecting the suction thereof when applied andwithout weakening the same in any part. The plate is adapted to be heldbetween the thumb and index-finger of the left hand, while the adjusting devices for the rest are manipulated by the right hand. lVhen it isdesired to increase the thickness of the plate, as at points contiguousto the teeth, it may be done by lowering the rest.

A further advantage ef the construction above described resides inthefact that the wax model may be reduced to approximately or exactly thedesired thickness for the plate without injury or without destroying thecontour of the top or roof side thereof, and hence after the formationand vulcanization of the rubber plate Very little, if any, dressingthereof is necessary. It is well known that the IOO most durable andelncient plates are those which receive the l'ea'st dressing aftervulcanization, for the reason that the character of the rubber at thesurface and contiguous thereto is better suited for the purpose thanthat which is near the interior of the plate at the time ofvulcanizin'g.

The means which I have provided for uniformly reducing the thickness ofa dentalv plate, irrespective of the inequalities or irregularities ofits upper surface, have a further advantage in that after completionthere are no lines of unequal tension in the plate, and hence theiiexibility or resilience thereof is uniform and the liability ofbreakage by jar is reduced to the minimum.

Various cha-nges in the form, proportion, and the minor'detai-lsof'construction may be resorted to niithoutdepartin-g from the spirit orsacrificing any of the yadvantages of this invention.

Having 'described -my invention, what I claim vis l. Altool for dressingdental plates having a bit and means for communicating rotary motionthereto, anda rest for Acontact with the roof side ofthe plate providedwith a reduced bearing-point tofollow inequalities in the surface 'ofsaid plate, substantially as specified.

2. A tool for dressing dental plates having a bit `and means v'forcommunicating rotary motion thereto, an adjustable rest having a reducedbearing-point arranged in alinement with the bit and adapted to followinequalities yin the surface of the dental-plate, and means foradjusting the rest to vary the interval between its bearing-point andthe bit, substantially as specified.

3. A tool for dressing dental plates having a bit and means forcommunicating rotary motion thereto, an adjustable rest having abearing-point arranged in alinement With and adapted to be moved towardand from the eX- tremity of the bit, means for adjusting the rest, and astop to limit the movement of the rest before the bearing-point comes incontact with the extremity of the bit, substantially as specified.

4. A tool for dressing dental plates having a bit, and means forcommunicating motion thereto, an adjustable rest having a reduced,bearing-.point-arran ged in alinement with the bit, means forcommunicating motion to the rest to vary the interval between itsbearingpoint and the extremity of the bit, an indicator ca-rried bytherest and arranged in loperative relation Withfa vfixed stop, and a gagefordesignating the interval between the bearing-point and the extremityof the bit, substantially as specified.

5. A tool for dressingpdental plates `'having a frame, a bit having itsspindle 'mounted upon the frame, means for communicating motion-to thebit-spindle, a restmountedupon the frame and havin'gareducedbearing-'point arranged in alineme'nt With the bit,anadj'ustin'g-sereivcarriedbythe rest, and a thumb nut or Wheellthreaded upon the adjustingscrew and adapted tobe manipulated lto varythe interval 'between the bearing-point and the extremity of the bit,substantially as specified.

In testimony that Iel'aimA the 'foregoing as my own I have heretoaffixed 'my signatur-ein the presence of VtivoWitnesses.

` PRESTON B. BARNES.

lVitnesses:

J. C. MECKLIN, B. L. DEAN.

